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Format:
Print
Author:
Czermińska, Agata
Dept./Program:
Natural Resources
Degree:
MS
Abstract:
The Soviet communist government left a polluted industrial legacy in Central and Eastern Europe, often fueled by coal mining activities. The entire region that had been behind the Iron Curtain for forty years experienced widespread environmental degradation that has persisted even after the countries of the region have embraced European accession. Poland has been battling the environmental degradation left behind by the communist regime and has managed to make substantial strides. As a precondition to accession to the EU, Poland was required to markedly improve its environmental performance, which it was able to do. Poland also improved other economic and social problems, and became a EU member in 2004. However, Poland's environmental woes are far from over.
While the world's top climate experts are cautioning that we need to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid major catastrophe, Poland relies more on coal and has the least diversified energy mix of any other European Union member state. This strong reliance on coal makes carbon emission reductions an issue of not only pollution but also of entrenched livelihoods in Poland. The aim of this study was to evaluate public attitudes on coal mining in terms of the environment and the economy in communities that had been dependent on coal mining and to identify mechanisms by which the postmining transition can be most effective.
This study relied on a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. A survey was designed to assess how residents perceive the local coal mines and mine closures in terms of their effects on the economy and the environment in two coal mining communities in the coal-dominant Polish province of Silesia. The survey was used to attempt to evaluate how residents perceive the impacts of EU accession on the economy, the environment and their personal quality of life. The survey also included questions about climate change, whether the government is acting accordingly and how Poland should deal with the issue of climate change. The survey was accompanied by semistructured interviews with ltey government and civil society stalteholders.
Survey results suggest that coal mining is perceived as crucial for the well-being of the economy in Silesia and that mine closures are detrimental to the economy. The environmental impacts of mining appeared to be a much lesser concern than other socioeconomic considerations. Furthermore, concern over the environment was found to be lower than concern over any other national issue. While climate change ranlted in the middle of other environmental problems, respondents felt that the government should do more to mitigate climate change and the most preferred method of mitigating climate change was through the use of renewable energies. The study suggests the need for a clear strategy for transition away from coal mining in the long-term coupled with environmental education.